If Only, If Only
by iBeebs
Summary: Espa is a wolf. Ko is a goat. Predator and prey. Friendship is strictly out of the question. But what happens when curiosity gets the better of them...?
1. Prologue

Wolves and goats.  
Together.  
As friends.  
Quite strange when you think about it.  
Predator and prey becoming buddies?  
Preposterous.

Yet it has happened.

Rarely, but it has happened.  
In fact, have you heard of the tale of Gabu and Mei?  
The wolf and goat who escaped over the mountains to find a home where they could finally live together without being ridiculed?

It's a popular story among the goats of Pleasant Valley.  
Speaking of these goats, the story I'm about to tell revolves around them.

It seems that for a particular wolf and goat here, history was about to repeat itself.


	2. Chapter 1

Little silver ears poked up out of the grass, bobbing among the meadow dotted with tiny flowers.  
A small grasshopper bounced up, and the creature jumped back.  
The grasshopper landed on a flower petal, watching its surroundings.  
A small black nose slowly leaned towards it.  
Click!  
The creature's teeth snapped by the insect, sending it scurrying away.  
The grasshopper took a leap of faith, and the silver-eared animal jumped after it.  
It was a wolf pup, with fur that was silver like the moon. White fur mixed with silver along her pelt and face.  
In fact, she looked more like a husky than a wolf.

The pup landed in the grass, missing the insect by a good foot.  
Her nose scented something new.  
The thought that her father would punish her for going too far from her home was bad enough.  
After all, he had always said that as a pup, she was more...  
What was the word?  
Vul-ner-ruh-bull?  
The pup figured that was what the word was. At least, that was how her father pronounced it.

The pup blinked up at the fence that loomed before her.  
Was this the "farm" her father had mentioned?  
Didn't he say the farm wasn't dangerous?  
"As long as I'm with you," her father said. "You have no reason to be afraid of the farm."  
As long as he was with her...

But he wasn't. He was out hunting.  
Her mom had disappeared awhile ago with him.

Well, the farm couldn't be THAT dangerous, could it?  
The thought of a new adventure sent her scurrying under the fence. Beyond the wooden barrier was like a different world from the forest she knew.  
Animals that she recognized as goats lazily grazed on the lush grass. Larger animals milled around beside them, with black and white pelts.

The pup gaped at the animals, then gleefully bounded forward.  
One of the goats looked up, eyeing her.  
"Look at that pup, Aro." The goat turned to her companion.  
Aro lifted his horned head, lazily blinking at the bumbling wolf pup.  
"Looks like Terra, doesn't it?" Aro's friend spoke again.  
"Yeah, she does." Aro nodded. "Odd. I thought Terra said she wasn't interested in havin' pups with any dog."  
"But look at that pup." Aro's companion, Zema, repeated. "She's huge!"  
"If I knew any better, I would say she was a wolf." Aro muttered, munching away on some grass. "But the only wolf around here was chased away."

The little pup who greatly resembled a husky laughed as she weaved under the large black and white animals.  
Another goat spotted the wolf pup and lowered its head, scraping a hoof against the ground.  
It surged forward, brown eyes set on its target.

The wolf pup tumbled, and so did the animal who tackled her.  
The hooved attacker landed on top, making the wolf pup whimper a little.  
His hooves hurt! For a young goat, he sure was large. Although he didn't have any horns and he was her size, his head was as hard as a rock! Her side throbbed from the hit.

"Oooowwww..." The goat whined, raising a hoof to rub his head. "That hurt..."  
Clearly she hadn't been the only one to have gotten hurt.

Now she could get a good look at him. He was completely brown, with a white dash on his nose. His chest and stomach were white as well.

The wolf blinked at him. "You're a weird-looking goat."  
The animal on top of her peered down. "And you're a weird-looking dog."  
"I am not a dog!" The wolf pup battered at his stomach with her hind legs, attempting to throw him off of her.  
He was pretty hefty, and her blows didn't seem to affect him at all.  
"I'm a wolf!"

The goat stared down at her with his brown eyes. Then suddenly, he barked out a harsh laugh. "Oh that's rich!"  
"What's so funny?" The wolf pup's blue eyes seemed to narrow.  
"You? A WOLF?" He laughed again. "There aren't any wolves around here! And if there were, our farm dog Terra would chase 'em off!"  
"Terra?" The husky-wolf's eyes widened. "That's my mama's name!"  
"No way!" The goat snorted. "Terra said she wasn't gonna have pups with any dog. Would distract her from her duty!"  
"My papa isn't a dog!" She growled, finally succeeding in shoving the goat off. "He's a wolf!"  
"Very funny." The goat taunted. "But I don't believe you!"

The wolf pup lunged, missing the goat by a few inches.  
"Can't catch me!" He pranced away.  
The husky-wolf growled and bounded after him.  
It didn't take her long to poke his back end with a paw.  
"Tag! You're it!" She took off with a gleeful bark, and the goat went after her.  
The two animals who had only begun to chase one another because of a claim soon turned their antics into a serious game of tag.  
The two children laughed happily as they bounced inside the fence's playground, springing back and forth beneath the giant black and white bovines and among the other goats.

Eventually, the wolf pounced on the goat, sending him to the ground. The two happily laughed as they shoved against one another, trying to pin the other underneath them.  
Finally, the wolf pup came out on top.  
"Yes! I win!" She raised her front paws in the air triumphantly.  
"You just got lucky that time!" The goat huffed. "Wow, you're fast though!"  
"You're really fast too!" The wolf pup jumped off of her new friend. "I've never seen an animal run like that! Except, maybe rabbits!"  
The two laughed before the goat said, "Oh, my name is Ko!"  
"I didn't even introduce myself!" The wolf pup slapped a paw to her forehead. "Well, I'm Espa!"

The two sat in silence, save for the panting of their breath.  
A bark made both of them perk up their ears.  
"Terra!"  
"Mama!"  
Ko and Espa both spoke up at the same time. The duo turned to the dainty house settled nearby.  
A large husky had emerged, with silver fur like Espa's. Her blue eyes glittered in the sunlight, and her tail wagged as she bounced around her master's children.  
The little boy and girl stood up on the edge of the fence, watching the goats and cows mill around. The dog slipped under the fence, sniffing at each animal.

"Mama!" Espa lunged forward, bouncing towards Terra.  
The husky froze, fur bristling as she spotted the wolf pup.  
"Espa...?" She peered at her daughter as she came closer. "Why are you...?"  
"Papa went to hunt, so I went on an adventure!" Espa's tail wagged back and forth vigorously.  
"Whoa, a puppy!" One of the children giggled.  
"Tewwa's puppy?" The second was a lot younger, and gazed at Espa with big eyes.  
"Terra, did you have a puppy?" The older girl laughed, leaning over the wooden boundary.

The husky ignored her master's children.  
"Espa, you should not be here." Her mother scolded. The puppy flinched, her tail slowing to a halt and going between her legs.  
"Sorry, mama..." The pup lowered her head in shame.  
Terra sighed, looking towards the fence. The children were gone, clearly going to tell their parents about Espa.

The husky mother lifted her head skyward and let out a howl.  
Unlike most wolves, this dog's howl was clear and unwavering, almost melodic.  
When Terra lowered her head, she kept her gaze set on the woods that lay beyond the meadow.  
Silence followed for a few heartbeats, until the ragged, much deeper howl of a wolf answered.

"Espa, we're going home." Terra quietly murmured. She gently picked up her pup, receiving a squeak of indignation.  
"Wait!" Ko ran up to the duo, a confused expression on his face. "Where are you going?"  
"I'm sorry, Ko, but I must leave." The husky quietly mumbled. "I will not be returning."  
"Will Espa return?"  
"...I cannot say." Terra turned away to leave. As the two dogs slipped under the fence, there was a cry.

Terra turned her head to see her master and his mate, along with his two children.  
"Terra! Get over here!" Her master commanded.  
The husky ignored the command, although it was one she knew very well.  
Espa quickly waved farewell to Ko as her mother turned away, bounding towards the woods.

Terra never looked back.

.:.:.

Ko could distinctly remember the smoke, thick and pungent. It clogger his throat and filled his lungs, causing his eyes to water.  
The goats were surrounded on every side by fire.  
The humans had fled long ago. The cows had leaped over the flaming fence.  
The goats, however, were trapped they could not crawl under, nor could they jump over it.

The goats could only cry out in fear as the smoke filled their lungs. The young and old succumbed to death first.  
Many had already given up on escaping.  
"We can't die like this!" A familiar goat attempted to encourage his herd.  
Ko had grown into a fine goat, with horns that stuck straight up upon his head, unlike the wild goats. His brown fur looked scarlet illuminated by the fire.  
"Ko, jumping that fire would be suicidal." His mother, the leader of the herd, croaked.

"Then we find a way through an opening!" He suggested desperately.  
He turned to his two friends, Halo and Anta.  
Halo looked like a dainty white angel, with brown tinted ears to match.  
Anta was all black, with a few pale white spots on his hide.

"Anta, Halo, c'mon! We can find a way!" Ko beckoned for them to follow before running towards the fence.  
"Ko!" Halo called. Anta surged past her. "Wait, Anta!" The female goat pranced in place nervously before she followed her friends.

"Ko, stop!" His mother called, letting out a loud bleat. Her bleat was cut off by harsh coughing.

Ko ran up to the fiery barrier, backing away when he felt the seeing heat beneath his hide.  
Anta and Halo joined him, coughing.  
"What should we do?" Anta coughed, shaking his head.  
"We could jump it..." Ko murmured.  
"We'll never make it!" Halo coughed, shuddering.  
"We have to try!" Ko raggedly spoke.

The brown goat backed away a few paces, pausing for a few moments before he charged forward.  
At the last second, he sprung upwards, sailing through the fire.  
"Ko!" Halo called, her voice cracking as she coughed again.  
Silence followed for a few heartbeats, before an answer came:  
"Hurry! Just get a running start!"

Anta was already running forward and soaring over the fence.

Halo joined her two friends soon afterwards, although she was shaking as she landed.

Inside the fence, Ko's mother frantically searched the herd for her son and his two companions.  
"He's long gone." Aro mumbled softly, catching her attention. "Let him go."  
The whole herd were wobbling at this point due to the smoke.  
"B-but, my son-"  
"Is all grown up." Aro cut her off. "He's grown into a fine young goat. He'll be alright."  
Ko's mother sadly hung her head.

Within minutes, the herd collapsed, one by one.

Upon a tall, flowery hill, three canines stood, watching the abandoned ranch burn.  
One wolf, scraggly and night black, pinned his ears back as his gaze flicked to his mate and the farm.  
The second, a silver husky, had her head lowered, whimpering softly.  
The third silently watched, eyes glittering with sadness.  
The husky-wolf mix, daughter of the tamed and wild, lifted her muzzle heavenward, loosing a clear, musical howl, grieving for the friend she had made a year ago.

As Ko, Halo, and Anta ran from the farm they called home, they heard the wolf's cry.  
Halo and Anta picked up speed, while Ko couldn't help but wonder.  
He stopped, looking in the direction of the meadow and the woods, before answering his friends' calls and rejoining them.


	3. Chapter 2

One year has passed.

A brown goat, once a part of a farm, pranced his way across Pleasant Valley. He skipped up to a hill with a lone tree on top.  
Behind him were two of his friends, happily chatting away.

Ko, Anta, and Halo had arrived at Pleasant Valley long ago, where they were welcomed by the goat herd.  
The goats had lived here for generations, and often told plenty of stories.  
No danger lurked here.  
No humans.  
No predators.  
Especially, no wolves.

In this new herd, Ko and Anta were deadly fighters.  
With horns that stuck straight up, they could easily stab any of the goats during mating season.

It was that time of the year again.  
Mating season was upon the goats of the herd.  
Most males would leap over mountains just to get the chance to prove something to everyone in the herd.  
Everyone, except one goat.

Ko had attempted to sneak away, but Halo and Anta had followed him to the top of the hill.  
He had just wanted to get away from everything.  
It wasn't that he was scared of mating season.  
No, he knew he could claim every lady goat in the valley if he truly wanted to.  
But he only wanted one goat.

Ko slowly looked over his shoulder, spotting Halo happily chatting with Anta.  
Her brown eyes sparkled as she laughed.  
Ko could've swore he felt his heart flutter.  
He tore his gaze away, setting his gaze straight ahead.

"Hey Ko!" Anta had called, making him freeze. "You never told me why you keep coming up here!"  
"I...well..." Ko had started walking again, but he refuses to face his friend. Well, if Anta could still be considered his friend.  
Lately he had been very aggressive, especially when it came to Halo.

"I just wanted...to, uh...enjoy the view!"  
That was a pathetic excuse.  
Even Anta, as thick-headed as he could be, saw right through it.  
"You like the view that much? You come up here every day."  
Halo head-butt him in the shoulder. "Cut the poor guy some slack!"  
"I'm just saying!" The black goat huffed, shaking his head out.  
His horns reflected the bright sunlight.

If there was anything that was scary about Anta, it was his horns.  
Even though Ko's horns were just like his charcoal friend's, there was a very distinct difference between the two goats.  
Anta's horns were absolutely massive for his species. Not to mention, he often sharpened them and fined them to a point.  
They were extremely deadly.  
Anta was also one of the largest goats in the here.  
Scratch that, he was the largest goat.  
Ko had been knocked over multiple times by bulk alone.  
The brown goat looked like a newborn kid next to him.

Ko had reached the top of the hill, while his friends bounded after him.  
"Sorry guys, I'm just not interested in all of this mating stuff.  
"You never are." Halo sighed. "Come on, don't you want to pass your bloodline on?"  
"Well, yeah, but-"  
"Then come back down the hill with us!" Halo had cut Ko off, bounding in front of him.  
Ko froze, blinking at the pretty goat in front of him.  
He wanted to say, "But I don't want any other goat to raise my child!"  
But if he did that in front of Anta...  
Ko had a feeling that it wouldn't end well.

"I-I'm sorry, but you guys just go join in on the...fun." He finished awkwardly. "I'll just hang around here."  
"Ah just leave him, Halo." Anta rolled his eyes. "Come on. The Elder will wonder where we are."  
Halo seemed to hesitate a little, but eventually followed Anta down the hill.  
Ko watched with a heavy heart.  
His female friend had said she was waiting for a sire she was sure she liked, but he couldn't help but wonder if this year she would bear someone's children.

Ko quickly shook his head.  
Did he really care?

Yes.  
He shook his head again, stomping closer to the tall tree.  
This place was a popular area for goats to come and rest. The grass was luscious and you could see for miles.  
Legend has it that a goat and a wolf once met here to have lunch, and from there, their friendship blossomed.

Ko settled himself on the ground, feeling a little drowsy in the springtime breeze.  
An image of a wolf pup flashed through his head, her fur silver, resembling a dog more than a wolf.  
What had her name been again?

Wait.  
Why was he trying to remember?  
If they met now, surely she would eat him! They were only foolish children then.  
If she was even alive, that is.

.:.:.

"Slow down your breathing."  
Air went in, then slowly and silently went out of her lungs.  
"Perfect. Stay low to the ground. Swift yet silent."  
The canine crouched lower, her belly fur barely touching the dirt.  
"Excellent. Now just as your father taught me. Stay downwind and low. The closer you get, the more of a chance you'll have. But remember. If it looks like the prey will bolt, catch them by surprise."  
"Mother." The young she-wolf spoke up softly. "What if I don't know how to?"  
"Just try your best."

The wolf nodded, creeping forward.  
The silver wolf slowly crept around the rabbit she stalked.  
Once in an appropriate position, she stopped, tensed.  
She slowly crept towards the animal, who was unaware of the dangers.  
The wolf suddenly lunged forward, clamping her jaws onto the rabbit's neck. It barely got any noise out as the wolf in training shook it, snapping its neck.

"Well done, Espa." Terra dipped her head to her daughter. "You've grown into a fine huntress."  
Her dog-wolf daughter beamed with pride.  
"You've done well in this strange territory. I wonder why the original pack here left..." Terra turned her ice blue gaze to the ground, but then she spotted something.  
"Before we return to your father and the rest of the pack..." Terra had turned her gaze towards a large hill with a tree on it. "How about you try to get some larger prey?"

Espa followed her mother's gaze and whipped her tongue over her lips. Settled on the hill was a goat with odd horns.


End file.
